Truck Conversion

[rockislandmike]

I've got some pushpin trucks, and some trucks that have hornhook couplers on them (where I'm going to convert the couplers to kadees in the next while) - both of which I want to get rid of.

My question is: how do I know which screw-in trucks I can use instead. My local hobby shop has quite the selection.

<< HO scale >>

 

[sumpter250]

Mike,
Where there's a will there's greedy rela----I mean a way.
Most all of the trucks available can be attached with 2-56 screws. It's a matter of what kind of hole is left in the bolster when you remove the original. In some rare cases you might have to insert a plug in the hole and then drill and tap for 2-56.
Pete

 

[Vic]

Hi Mike and Pete, Like Pete says where there's a will......

Pete you might remember the old AHM freight cars that had the push pin that held the trucks on. I used to take a piece of sprue left over from a plastic kit, whittle it down and force it into the hole left by the pin. I'd put a little liquid styrene glue on it and when it was dry I'd cut and file it flush with the bolster then use a #2x1/8 self tapping screw to install an Athearn truck. Ahhhhh Them was the good old days I was the only one in town who could keep his AHM cars on the rails

 

[BillD53A]

Remember the old wheels that came on AHM cars...the ones where the plastic wheel/axle was split and fit like a sleeve over a metal axle? I finally found a use for them...remove the wheels from the metal axles, throw the axles away. Remove the trucks from the car. Seperate the car floor and body, and glue a wheel/axle inside the car floor, with the axle through the kingpin hole. Trim the bottom flush with the bolster, and use a 2-56, or #2 screw to attach the trucks! Replace the wheelsets with modern wheels (you might have to use a #50 drill bit in your fingers to open up the axle bearing holes in the sideframes to let the wheels roll, or use The Tool from Reboxx) Bill

 

[Vic]

Found A Use

Hi Bill, I found a use for those old AHM reefers.....Since the door height and the siding spacing is correct I cut them down into HOn3 reefers. Here's a pic of one in the works

 

[Gary Pfeil]

Vic, That's ingenious! I love it.

Gary

 

[Vic]

Thanks Gary, Actually I should have said that I cut down the sides to make the NG reefers....The floor is just a piece of styrene siding and the rest is Grandt Line Parts

Now that Precision Scale has those beautiful HON3 reefer kits I kinda lost interest in building these out of the AHM cars

 

[BillD53A]

Excellent!! My road uses the wood, double door boxcars...remove the deep side sills, add a fishbelly underframe, file off the corrugations on the ends, add end siding, roofwalks, vertical brake wheels,grabs and door details. Great kitbashing fodder! Bill

 

[Gary Pfeil]

Bill, Your method of using the AHM wheel/axle as a boss for mounting the trucks is pretty damn clever. But I'm glad we don't have to deal with those cars anymore! The new stuff is so awesome!

Gary